Amidst the massive protests against Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period drama Padmaavat, the film found support from Americans from thousands of miles away from India. A group of cheerleaders performed to Deepika Padukone’s popular Ghoomar song from Padmaavat at an NBA (National Basketball Association) match, which was held between Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat on Jan 28 in United States of America.
Image: padmavatmovie.com
Ghoomar is a Rajasthani folk dance form, which is performed by Deepika in the film. About the song, Deepika said that it was very challenging for her and she reportedly performed 66 twirls while shooting Ghoomar for director Sanjay Leela Bhansali to pick out the best few.
In the dance video, posted by NBA’s official Facebook handle, looks like the spectators at the stadium, too, enjoyed the dance performance. Deepika Padukone also shared the video, where American cheerleaders looked adorable in a purple lehenga and were seen matching up to Deepika’s steps from the song. The actress captioned the video saying, ”Revisit the mesmerising moment when the sights and sounds of Ghoomar from Padmaavat took over Charlotte!”
While there were huge protests against the period drama Padmaavat, the Ghoomar song was also criticised, saying that Rajput queens never danced before anybody. Ghoomar was singled out for specific complaints about the indecent clothes that shows Deepika’s midriff. Later, the makers of Padmaavat released a new version of Ghoomar, in which Deepika’s midriff was covered by special effects.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat is based on the legend of Rani Padmini of Chittor who is believed to have committed jauhar to escape Emperor Alauddin Khilji. Padmaavat stars Deepika Padukone in the role of Rani Padmavati while Shahid Kapoor plays Raja Maharawal Ratan Singh. Ranveer Singh plays antagonist Alauddin Khilji. The film was released on Jan 25th and gained positive response from critics and audiences alike.
